Vacuum Tubes Basics: 10 things you need to know
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- Audio Vacuum #Tubes or #Valves have always been a top choice for audiophiles and #HiFi lovers but the topic can be daunting. In this video we will go through the top 10 things you need to know to start!
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- NOS - Past Manufacturers were maily
American (RCA, GE, Sylvania, Ken-Rad, Dumont, Tung-Sol)
British (Mullard, Brimar, Mazda)
Dutch (Amperex, Philips)
French (RTC)
German (Telefunken).
- NEW - Current Vacuum Tube Manufacturers:
#1 China; Shuguang
Brands and Sub Brands:
Sino China, Shuguang, Golden Dragon,
Rebranders: Mesa, Ruby, TAD, Groove Tubes, PM Components, Valve Art, Peavey, Fender, ......
#2 Slovak Republic: JJ Electronic
Brands and Sub Brands:
JJ, Telefunken Black Diamond
Rebranders: Mesa, Ruby, TAD, Groove Tubes, PM Components, Valve Art, Peavey, Fender, ......
#3 Russia: Reflektor Corporation
Brands and Sub Brands:
New Sensor, Electro Harmonix, Mullard reissue, Tung Sol reissue, Sovtek, Genalex Gold Lion, Svetlana (not real Svetlana).
NOS Source (Harvey Kader): www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/ta/...
NEW source (Red Planet member): www.thegearpage.net/board/ind...
Dad was an electronics technician in various fields, including NASA. When I was a kid I'd pluck every tube from a derelict TV, had no idea what they were or how to power them up to get that magical glow, I just thought they were cool. Now some 50 years later I'm in my 26th year with NASA as a senior metrologist, but my hobbies revolve around vacuum tube-powered gear. Amateur radio with transcievers from the late 1950s, restoring pre and postwar tube-powered Zeniths (and a few `50s TransOceanics), and music which of course would be old Fenders and Marshalls, all of which require their own particular families of vacuum tubes. My favorite times are on cold, winter nights listening to the airwaves from another continent, glass of bourbon and nothing but the heat, smell and the deep orange glow of an entire group of tubes in a Collins transmitter and reciever.
How cool, thanks for sharing that!
Oooh, NICE, the Collins 'line' of individual components also great! For my station, along with a modern transceiver, I have the Kenwood line. This would be the complete matching set with the 830-S flagship at the heart of the system.
De KC1JZR (if you want to take a look).
@@garysmith8455 Hey Gary, that's a nice Yaesu too! I'm on QRZ as well. I have a Collins S-Line (the receiver is a 75S-2), a solid state Icom IC-736 (which I love) and the newer 7300, so I have one of each "generation", vacuum tube, SS and SDR. I'm low budget in that I have no tower, all my antennas are home-built. I use the trees on my property to string up a G5RV (which many dispise) way up at 80 feet. That, and a few hundred watts gets me just about anywhere I want to go. 73
@@SteverRob Thanks so much Rob! Ok on your gear too! Yes, only a dublette here as well, but not slung over branches, actual Halyards, and a 20lb. weight on the movable end with backing plates and hooks in the tree trunks LOL. Since THREE trees are involved, there can be lots of motion.
But the wire stays in place no matter the weather. I will look you up on QRZ! I run the Maine Potato Net Thursday - Saturday evenings on 3.961.000 We NCS's run 'Net Logger'. There are two other NCS stations, we run 7 nights a week. Come log in and become a SPUD (O: 6pm. eastern at the moment until the time change.
@@garysmith8455 A 20lb weight! I guess you need that and you’re right, when those trees get swaying, it’s a bit nerve racking.
Old enough to remember going to Walgreens with my dad… to use the ol’ tube-tester. Had to..to fix the RCA console TV. Couldn’t miss that week’s “Man From UNCLE” episode…
I beg to differ on a several points. As for “tube life”, for many years now I have owned, used and maintained several tube amplifiers, and all the amp repair techs I’ve talked to or used say basically the same thing, life of a tube can be 2 minutes to 20 years. 2nd.. New current production vacuum tube market is quite vast, (that is until current political sanctions on Russia have blocked shipments). Power tubes are the only tubes required to be matched in pairs, and are also biased as pairs. An amplifier that would have (8) power tubes would have (4) pairs of matched tubes and require biasing. Preamp tubes do not require matching or biasing. Handling tubes with your fingers, power or preamp, will not harm the tube in any way (other than an unsightly fingerprint, or you could get burned if hot). DON’T “JERK” the tubes out of their sockets!! Gently rock them in a circular motion while pulling upward… same when inserting them. If you don’t feel confident, ask a Tech/Repairman to get the best information.
Tubes rule! They are just so sweet in the highs and mids even at low volume. 👍👍
Tubes are actually my rabbit hole. Tun-Sol, Mullard and Sylvania are so good, love their sound. Tube rolling is pure audio joy. Great video Guido
I prefer Gold Lion.
How long do you usually let them heat up before listening?
Great video. For me it couldn't come at a better time. I just ordered my first tube preamp and your video taught me a lot. Now I have a basic understanding of how to properly use them and what to look for.
I have Leslie speakers for my Hammond organs and both utilize tubes. Learning to repair/restore my Leslie is what got me into tubes.
Those tube are 6550 tung-sol if they are black plate no hole with 3 D getters two on one side one on top they can bring 750.00 each tube. I’m lucky I have a matched pair dated 3225904= 322 tung-sol, 59 Year, 04 4th month. Man do they sound out of this world.
Great tubes introduction for beginners!
Everything I have is "solid state" ! I saw a tube phono pre-amp on Amazon very cheap, but I passed because I didn't know anything about it! Now I do, thx!
Thank you! Don't fall for those...I don't mean you need to spend big money on it but not even cheap. Vintage is always a good way as others have said!
Vinyl City Get yourself a decent valve preamp something about 2 to £300 that will improve the sound of your system dramatically I hope this is of some use to you all the best with your journey into the hifi World
You're old if you can remember when drug stores had vacuum tube testing machines and stocked the tubes.
Yup, I’m 56 and remember walking into the hardware store and seeing those machines that looked like pinball machines.
oh god... that sounds like one old ass person remembering the world war 1 lmfao
Yep plug your tube into a big machine yep
Eckerds Drug store. We had a TeeVee, that was smoking tubes continually. So much so we just left the back off the tv! We’d test the suspect tubes on the machine and they had the replacements in the bottom portion. Walk down memory lane…that Drug store still had an old fashioned soda fountain…look that one up young’uns! 😂
Fantastic information, thanks for putting this out there.
There should be no problem handling tubes with bare hands, they are not like halogen bulbs.
Tubes don't necessary have a life of only a few years, they can last fer decades. I'm restoring (mainly recapping) a radio from 1956 that still has a complete set of original operational tubes.
Its all relative, I guess. I know about other examples and experienced the opposite...
Vintage tubes made in the West from the 1970s or earlier tend to last much longer than the current Russian and Chinese crap. 1-2 years is not at all realistic, even the Russian and Chinese stuff lasts much longer unless it's really being hammered hard in the circuit. I find that it's the rectifiers that lose their sonic performance much sooner than the signal tubes.
Indeed, I have a Fairbanks & Morse 1937 AM/SW radio using all original tubes, I myself have recapped and the set operates beautifully. That's 82 years and going strong still.
@@balthromaw6305 I have a friend who went to retrieve a system from the estate of an elderly person who had died. The system had been installed in the 1960s, and was basically untouched since then. While most of the system was accessible, the amp was nowhere to be found. They followed the wires, and eventually found that there was a pair of McIntosh MC40 mono amps that had been built into the wall, sealed in behind the sheetrock. They had been fully powered for over 40 years, and were still working perfectly.
@@gotham61 Sweet those amps are awesome
Thank you for this video! This was very helpful. I'm getting ready to change the tubes on my Egnater Renegade 212 combo.
This will be my first time for changing tubes out and biasing them.
Tube rolling is a lot of fun. But also op amp rolling can produce amazing things. With my Lake People G111 Headphone Amp (German manufacturer), I ended up using 3 Burson Audio V6 Vivid Dual Op Amps. Plus the Cambridge Audio Dac Magic 100 with Oyaide USB cable / Oehlbach NF 214 RCA cable and Sennheiser HD 660s / Beyerdynamic DT880 Edition. Quite a good compilation in my opinion.
Thank you very much for the interesting video. For a newb like me using a tube amp or pre-amp sounds intimidating. An introduction to the elements to pay attention to when considering this approach is very valuable. 👍🏽👍🏽
Very useful stuff , 100% agree , I love tube too , thank so much for sharing .
Great Explanation on tube Matching! I have an 8 channel valve summing box and noticed when I engage the 4th tube (which is different) (channel 7,8) even if audio is not passing at the time. It still adds characteristic to the overall summing signal it can make it better or worst.. might add too much shine… etc. It is always good to match them with the same company. Personally I prefer Mullards Eico 12ax7 ECC’s mid 1960s Vintage. Jimmy Hendrix style! 🙏
Love this channel ! Thanks for all the videos , Appricate all your hard work and dedication !
Thank you so much!!
I had the Tjoed CD player years ago and listened every day. I found it needed six minutes to start working properly and at 1 hour the sound opened up to hear all the subtle reverbs in detail. The tubes lasted 2 years. They still worked fine but the sound was getting a little dull. New tunes brought the life back. I rang to manufacture tunes in Australia
I got a THX amp and just got a Ta-26 (OTL tube amp) and i must say i LOVE the sound. With electronic, rock, classical music, jazz, everything sounds so fun, lively, decongested but also very bassy and tickly to the ears. Great vibes. Love tubes, you gotta try it
Nice!!
Yes, more on valves please. I'm using valve amplification from your part of the world.
You covered all the important things I wanted to know, thank you!..
Thank YOU!
Thank you! This video was an awesome resource on the topic for someone just learning about tubes.
Thank YOU!
Great to get a video about tubes. One thing I would like to mention. I would not recommend that anyone rock the tubes as severely as you demonstrated in inserting or removing tubes. You will surely break a pin. As for gear I have a PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium HP integrated. I rolled the stock EL34s out in favor of KT150s. Wow. It made the unit a totally new unit. Of course the tubes ARE the amp. I have a couple of other tube units too.
My Hammond organ is an all tuve instrument and also the Leslie spiker too, it sounds beautiful .
8 power tubes!!! wow- you hi fi guys never cease....
Currently using Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies paired with the Focal Utopia is just incredible! Thanks for the informative video.
You're knowledge and description of tube,valve tubes is amazing 👏 😊❤🎉
1:07 I believe the earliest working vacuum tubes by Fleming were diodes that replaced the crystal in radios. Later, the triode was invented to amplify radio signals for use with loadspeakers.
Even the invention of the triode was by accident 🤔🙄🤗
Yes, the diode came first, and the triode came later, and it WAS found by accident. Actually, it was found much earlier on when playing with a light bulb and the triode effect was witnessed but was ignored as a useless phenomenon until later when it was realized that it could be used as an amplification device
I just hope they never go away.
Tubes wouldn’t be here today without guitar players. As long as kids keep playing the guitar, tubes will be here to stay. You can thank Eddie Van Halen for that. :)
I do black & white film photography and darkroom printing, which, like valves, is ‘old technology’ but, as many people including myself believe, it is better, in various respects, than today’s more modern digital (‘solid state’) technology. So the old technology can be better. But on the other hand, there is the theory of ‘product diversification’ which says, seemingly correctly, that as time goes by, basic technologies diversify rather than become obsolete. For example, in the beginning we had the simple pencil, and then as time went by we developed the woodless pencil, the propelling pencil, the clutch pencil, the coloured pencil, and various grades of graphite. We also developed the standard and erasable ball point pen, the felt tip pen, the fountain pen, and various other variations of writing implements, now including electronic styli for our iPads - all being different ways to write or draw. So tubes, like vinyl records, will probably always be around. Looking at what’s available today online in the way of tubes, there seems to be a much greater proliferation of them, and at keener prices, than ever before, so hang in there. I’m curious to know (I’m about to buy a valve amp), how do you know when your tubes, or some of them, are worn out? Thanks
They won't. Guitar amps are a big business and people like myself ain't moving to solid state any time soon.
Tube sound is misunderstood by the unfamiliar. Power is just a part of what is needed to drive a speaker element. The signal from a tube drives speakers much more efficiently in a way that solid state can not do. So every frequency is cleaner, louder, more real sounding. Like real live music. SOOO, you can use tubes for a preamp, generate that efficient signal, and feed it into solid state amps. Bingo. It really works. I do this now with a blutube Rockville amp, 70 watts max. It drives speakers like a 400 watt amp but with better sound. This is no joke people. Never think you can compare tube signal power with solid state power alone. It is the tube signal that pushes the speaker so much more efficiently, making more dynamic, realistic sound. Not warm, not laid back, but intense reaistic sound. Every speaker will sound better with tubes. The better the speaker, the more tubes will improve the sound. And it will be louder... with much less "wattage". For music lovers it is well worth learning about tube preamplification. No need to break the bank on 800 watt SS amps. Read some reviews about Rockville Blutube hybrid amps. New tubers are all amazed how much better their speakers sound with a tube system!
Good points!
Tubes are amazing, I have a German radio from the 1950s with 5 tubes in it, and it sounds amazing! I just hope tubes will never go away!
Tubes are like mousetraps, Hershey chocolate, they will always be around😁I hope🙄
Tubes are used more and more these days
@@XtianApi cause they are amazing! They sound a lot better than transistors.
Make the tubes made in russia go away
An old 5 tube radio sounds like a tin box compared to a proper Hi-Fi tube amp.
Hello from Canada. I’m just starting into my tube life after having solid state all my life.
Interesting info. My tube amp is a custom one from Steve White. All the amps he builds are self biasing on every tube for longer life. Can’t wait to understand and roll a few down the line. Great into, thanks!👍❤️🇨🇦
Excellent video! I'm fairly new to tubes, so these basics definitely helped.
Great video for a beginner like myself who had 0 knowledge of tubes and how they work. Thanks Brother👍🏾
Now you have negative knowledge. Congratulations? :p
Tube noob here, great video, thank you for helping me understand the world of tubes 👍
I just bought a tube preamp. I have always owned AB, or D amps but grew up hearing tubes and have always been interested in the back of my mind. I decided the best way to introduce them to my system would be a preamp, get a taste and see how I like it. Currently I use my DAC as a preamp, it's great, very clean sound. It has several filter settings and a parabolic EQ, but the sound is pretty neutral across the board. I would like the ability to change the tone, especially for certain recordings and types of music. My tastes range across the music spectrum and I have fun with experimenting. Seems like the next logical step in my systems evolution.
Good job!
Thx, waiting for tube-gear review.
Thanks, that is great advice you shared. I am planning on going with a tub pre-amp & it's such information that will help help me to become more infomed.
Thanks lots for the explanation. Really appreciate :)
I love this "natural reproduction of sound" idea. great talk!
whats natural about an electronic speaker?
Don't forget about the Hungarian Tungsram tubes. Excellent ones.
thanks for the video im new to tubes just bought my felix audio elise cant wait to start tube rolling .
Thank you!
Tube rolling ..there is s start for tube rolling ....BUT THERE'S NO END TO IT !
Great video. Thanks.
I really like tube amplifiers but they are harder to service these days and even the modern tube amplifiers are ok but still expensive. The one thing to consider is the amount of electricity a pair of mono block amplifier consumes during use and at the same time never to use them in high humidity and/or overly warm spaces. The sound coming out of any decent pair of tube amplifier is amazingly awesome especially paired with an analog R2R or cassette deck.
Nice thing about tube amplifiers is they are fairly simple. You could probably do most of the work on one yourself.
That’s how I got into tube amps. Rebuilt a few. Good soldering iron, patience, documentation, and a multi-meter.
You asked about gear: I have a Jolida JD-1000rc running the panels only of my Martin Logan SL3 (100W per side.) Woofers are being driven by Nak SS. Adding tubes to these speakers was a day and night difference. I had the opportunity to run the SL3 with numerous SS gear (Krell, Classe, Rotel, Nakamichi) and when I added my first tube amp, the speakers just melted away. Being able to tube-roll and "tune" the sound for the speaker and the room has been critical to getting a sound that I love. I was worried about changing to tubes as there is a ton of misinformation out there...I wish I would have done this 30 years ago when I started in Audio. Thanks for the video and keep up the good work.
Great setup! That is a very powerful tube amp, in fact it can drive those not very sensible electrostats with ease I see! Very cool! Thanks for sharing!
This was very informative. Thanks.
For me the best ever explanation of tubes. Thanks a lot.
Thank YOU!
Thank you for sharing, very interesting and informative, just uploaded a few of my hand crafted tube Amps. I enjoy learning more about the world of tube Audio!
I had 4 phono stages at the same time to compare in my system the Schiit mani, Cambridge Audio, Rega and a Budgie from Parks Audio. The Budgie was a tube phono preamp the 3 others were solid state. In the end the Parks Audio Budgie made my albums sound the best to me. FYI the Schiit mani put up a good fight. Awesome information sir like always, Thank You!
For my very first foray into tubes (after TRYING to be an Audiophile for 40+ years) I just recently bought a Littlebear T11 all tube phono section, which has 1 rectifier tube and 3 other tubes. This is replacing the sort of dual-mono semi-vintage Discrete Sherwood Newcastle preamps/amps that run each channel of my two tall fully open dipole multi-driver line-arrays, where I've been using the phono sections of those preamps/amps for nearly 20 years. It's burned in now probably over 60+ hours of actual playing, and I THINK I'm going to like the sound. I agree with the fellow here that earlier in the signal path would be the place to try tubes first if possible. So, I'm interested to see how I like the sound. The unit came with stock Chinese 6n2 tubes, but there are switches and you can use 12AX7's instead. I just ordered 3 really inexpensive new matched 12AX7 tubes from Upscale audio, so I'm quite curious as to how they will sound : )
Nice!
@@anadialog BTW, I didn't really direct a much deserved compliment to you for your excellent reviews and such, thank you! I found your advice on another post from you about interconnects which was bloody PERFECT timing because at that moment I needed one. And, although I have some really ancient ones that were considered very Audiophile at the time, those are in use in my main system, but I needed one for my secondary that was decent but not prohibitive. And BOOM your video about those interconnects which I've never heard about was perfect, so I snagged the entry level one and it's working fine, thank you! I must say, a very nice looking interconnect for that price. I'm sorely tempted to try the high level purple ones on my main system, but I'll have to see about that.
Please keep up the most excellent and **VERY** helpful posts mate!
How cool! Thanks for sharing that!
Fantastic video and a wealth of information! Have so many friends wanting to begin their tube journey. I believe it’s a new old frontier in our hobby just as vinyl has made a comeback. So happy to see more getting into true hifi
Vinyl never went away only the consumers..lol
@@michaelvaladez6570Not true. Vinyl left the room when the kids and CDs showed up.
dude awesome. Thank you for uploading this stuff.
I run 2 styles of amplifier 6EM7 preamps with 300B power valves and EC83 with KT88 power tubes. Both hand built with the best components collected over the years. Once you have heard them you will never go back. I had a friend visit recently and he brought some of his favourite discs. He discovered all kinds of details in his music he never heard in 30 years of listening. Go single ended triode over ultra linear. I can tell you that my 300B amp at 9 watts is louder than transistor amps supposedly rated at over 100 watts. The only side effect from all this goodness is that music that has been recorded badly will show up and end up in the bin. There is a good reason western electric 300B NOS valves are selling for over $5000- US a pair. They are the best. PSvane is a great brand of Chinese valves that you didn't mention. Highly recommend, especially the more expensive models
I hear ya!
Tube warm-up is more important than presenter lets on - they will wear out MUCH quicker if you fail to warm them up before putting signal through them. That's probably why he has to replace his tubes every year or two. That's inherent for some amps, but I've had NOS tubes last ten years or more with proper care, even in guitar amps where they are run hard.
That's simply not true!
Yep, spent many hours sitting in the garage warmed by Tram, Bowning, Palamar, and Health Kit tubes.
Thankyou for sharing your experiiences with Valves. I use Valves for instrument ampliification and once had an amp that sounded awful, changed speaker, changed capacitors and even tried modifications to the circuit but it still sounded hard and horrible then one day I just pulled an Ecc83c from a little radio and placed it in the 1st socket of the nasty amp and I could'nt believe the change in tone. 1 valve saved tha amp from being trashed for parts to a " Numero uno" Electric Guitar amp. Yes, I notice after 15/20 mins the tone gets better and smoother . Your viddy ought to be included with every new Valve amp. Keep up the good work.!
Excellent video. Grazie!
Thanks for this informative video.
Thank YOU!
Thanks for the video. Until now I'm still using tubes for repairing radio and TV.
Hi AD. Still liking your channel. Very well presented. Point 4: a well made vacuum valve should last 10,000 hrs but if they are switched on/off often then their life will be much shorter.
I have a Marantz 240 c1975 with Australian made, Falls Audio, valve pre-amp and valve MM phono pre. The Marantz, like many early SS power amps has a valve like sound (I had a Leak St20 vac valve amp and Stereo preamp) so matches with the preamps very well for a sweet sounding HiFi that still has lots of kick for Black Sabbath. I play my tv using the headphone out thru this system and it even performs well with UA-cam! (Tiny Desk is a great source for new music performed live). Lp’s of course are where it really shines.
Music is Life🌈
Wow Leak! Good stuff. Thanks for your nice comment!
This was very helpful. Thank you! Trying to ensure that my families 1967 stereo console operates safely. Looking forward to your videos.
Great.Good Recommend thank you.
Thanks for sharing this great knowledge, you speak very clearly. I could understand everything (I´m from México).
If you know a little about quantum physics, you know that electrons infact are a huge mystery. Just the double slit paradox in itself proves that. Electrons can behave both as a particle, and a wave. Two electrons can affect each other over apparently endless distances, and electrons can disappear from one location, and pop up in another without any time passing in between. The behavior of electrons gave birth to The Super String Theory, which to add up requires the existence of multiple dimensions. This other discoveries also substantiates. These dimensions occupy the same time and space as we do, and electrons can unimpeded pass between them. This is infact what happens when electrons pass through a tube. Despite the short distance we see electrons travel through a tube, they infact pass through an almost endless row of dimensions. An extreme current of electrons are able to pull things along, like it happened during The Philadelphia experiment, where the ship was dragged into hyperspace, but even lower currents can pull things along from other dimensions and into this one. Passing through a tube, to higher dimensions, and back to here, electrons bring back divinity, and this is the very reason that tube gear sounds so divine. If you believe this, I seriously think you need to talk to somekind of therapist, but the divinity of tube sound is a fact that can't be argued, and believing in it doesn't require a straightjacket. Tubes rule!!!!
Awesome video mate.
Facinating! Thanks man! ;-)
Thx for the info maestro😊
mostly agree.You can make a solid state riaa(phono stage or a power amplifier that sound organic.No negative feedback local or global solid state done right get that organic sound(not harsh) without the bad things a tube are known for.And they sound the same at any level until clipping.I only use this type circuits in my build,s.No oscillating problem with them either.Component choice and short symmetric signal path is important.The most silent amps i have heard also.No hizz. I use sensitive drivers 94 to 96db pr watt 1 meter no horn.Amt type tweeters ,planar magnetic mids from 240hz and up in a active setup.Have to put my ear close to the tweeter to hear some faint hizz.Have tried lots off different amplifiers, they all had hizz i could hear easy from my chair.
Good episode, thanks! I like your two charts about tube Manufacturing countries. This week I was shopping for a Fender guitar amplifier 5AR4 rectifier tube replacement. It converts AC current into DC current used inside the amplifier circuits. It's for a 2019 re-issue of a 1959 Bassman bass/guitar amplifier that I bought straight from Fender this year, made in November 2019. Not even Fender sells the exact same tube replacement, a Groove Tube!? I felt like I was shopping for old technology that is still only made in obscure locations that still have the manufacturing equipment for this old technology. Kind of fun. Kind of frustrating. I was actually upgrading the amplifier to higher 40 wattage Jensen AlNiCo P10Q speakers, it's a learning curve! It's cramped inside the amplifier cabinet and I couldn't reach a few bolts to remove two speakers. At one point the 5AR4 tube was in my way, so I briefly thought about removing it, but how? I tried twisting it to unscrew it but that did not work. It has two C shape clamps that you have to press down hard as you gently jiggle the glass tube and try to pull it straight up and away. But I guess I managed to lose the vacuum when I was ignorantly trying to twist it, so I ruined that tube, it looks like it got foggy because it was no longer a vacuum inside the glass, I accidentally allowed humid air to enter the tube. A friend at work says tube amps aren't worth it, just use transistors that are cheaper. I think the question is like drinking beer from a bottle or a can, some can tell the difference and some cannot, some care and some do not. I have a $200, 100 watt Fender transistor amp, with supposed digital presets to sound like different classic tube amps, (meh, not quite effective); and it's just not as sentimental and traditional as the $1,500, 45 watt tube amp that I am working on. The tube amp is definitely better sounding and worth the money in my opinion. For some reason the lower wattage tube amplifier seems to be louder than the higher wattage transistor amplifier sounds?! That's another reason I like the tube amps over the transistor amps. Just this weekend I discovered your UA-cam channel, you have a lot of good episodes and topics! You have a lot of good insights.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I am glad to hear that who MAKES music is still a fan of tube sound and yes, you are correct tube amplification does appear to be louder because it has a pleasant distortion and makes the most out of the same wattage in respect to a transistor based system.
I have a lot of vintage tube rectifiers still in the boxes
I have a lot of vintage amps
I love them
You want vintage tubes in America call or write Brent Jesse
Amazing.. i love tubes.... Watching from Brazil...
Welcome aboard!
EXCELLENT VIDEO !
I used to have a small Chinese headphone tube amp, I got hooked! I was looking for a different sound, to revive those nights sitting at my parent's living room, letting my music fill the void with sounds from my dad's turntable. I bought another one, a Dark voice, it's a solid piece of gear that could provide me years of entertainment. The only downside of it, I've spent a lot of money on tubes, experimenting with sounds. Expensive hobby to say the least. (and now I want to spend more on records).
It's the analog itch!
I dated a girl who's uncle had literally THOUSANDS of tubes in his basement.
@@elonmust7470 ...until they finally mysteriously appeared in your basement.
@@outofvideos I wish I had... That house was sold & all of it's contents thrown away or auctioned.
@@elonmust7470 How did you let that happen without breaking in? ;) What a terrible situation you have to live with. ;)
I'm a tube only guy..!
My riaa is an De Paravicini EAR phonobox, run by 3x 12AX7 and passive SUT gain. (step-up transformer)
Not a single transistor or Op-Amp, neither in the gain stage, or in the riaa equalization itself.
Then a blue alps pot (again a passive variable resistor) controls the line signal level which is being sent directly to a Primaluna tube Poweramp, again with no transistors or Op-Amps.
Pure analogue sound being handled by passive discrete topology, Valves, resistors and SUT's from end to end.
hi sir thankyou for your beautiful shows.
Another great video (I just subbed)! Synergy is also something that comes into consideration when trying to achieve great sound. Sometimes, you get unexpected results, better or worse. Recently, I put together a system that included an inexpensive, but excellent sounding tubed preamp. I went with a Little Dot MK3 head amp/preamp, and rolled a pair of CBS Hytron NOS tubes, circa early 1950's. Amplifer is a McIntosh MC162 solid state, and Magnepan MG12/QR speakers. Even thought these aren't larger KT88 or EL34 tubes, I cannot believe how great they sound! Bottom line: it really does not take a lot of money to get into tubes these days!
I agree! Your synergy concept is absolutely a further point to introduce!
Psvane art series gives direct 👌
I used that Little Dot MkIII as the volume control / preamp for my bedroom HiFi for a while. It sounded surprisingly good, but not as good as a REAL tube preamp - I ended up with a Van Alstine FET Valve CFR. It's an all-tube preamp that uses MOSFET's for only power supply regulation. I own fancier tube preamps, but the VA is outstanding at its price point - no quibbles!
Thanks for the response. I'm still using the same Little Dot MkIII in the same system, but unfortunately, our new addition to the family (a Rottweiler) precludes me from listening to much music these days. You would not believe how one large dog can change your life, and add both joy and stress to a household! The dog lives in our main rec area room where all my equipment is. She is real sweet, but follows me everywhere, and requires a lot of attention, LOL. Anywho, i'm hoping I can upgrade my preamp gear one day soon, and get a larger house with a separate 'listening room'. I have a 'Ham Radio room' currently, but no other available rooms for listening. @@CustomTele52RI
Thermionic valve is the name given by the inventor in Lancashire , England.
I am biased ( but not in the vacuum tube way). My first wife came from Blackburn UK and more than 50 years ago now, every time we drove down the ring road, we passed the Mullard factory there. In the UK,, NOS Mullards and their Phillips equivalents for guitar amplifiers are now and were, the gold standard for tubes, as they are for many in the USA. I have an NOS Mullard EF86 from pre 1970 in my Vox amplifier and it is a great improvement on the JJ I had before. However, depending on which Mullard/ Phillips tube is in demand, some sellers are asking hundreds of pounds sterling for just one, or hundreds of euros. What were once thought of as little more than scrap have become an investment.
I own a 1959 stereo Tube pre amp with 1959 nos tubes each channel has a RCA 7025 then each channel has 2-12au7a Sylvania 1 each for bass 1 each for treble. So my tube pre amp has active EQ circuit and is a Cathode follower.
a 1959 stereo p/p 6v6gta no volume control that’s on preamp. I run it into Altec Lansing 10 cubic foot cabinets with 15” Alinco magnet, horn mids, high end horns all Alinco magnets. About 15 watts a side will blow your mind. 117 dbl 1 watt at 1 meter. Most realistic music you will
ever hear.
I own 10 tube amps today some push-pull some Single Ended
Sweet! So which amp worked best for you?
Excelente information
Thanks Ruben!
If you want to locate NOS tubes, start asking the old folks who did TV and radio repairs post war. Some of them will have a building full of tubes.
Very true
Great info. Love the beautiful sound of tubes! Cheers. /Paul
Thanks Paul!
It's a good thing you are talking about this. I was just thinking about a tube phono preamp. I have been using a Radio Shack solid state one from 1983 and it works fine, but I am curious of how much better a tube one would be.
Go for it and give us some feedback!
Ótimo vídeo congratulações
good video but I would argue that you are underestimating tube life especially in preamps. If the equipment is designed conservatively and is in good condition preamp tubes can out last their owners. I have picked up equipment that was half a century old. I have had to replace capacitors of course as they start failing with time (same as solid state gear) but quite often the tubes are fine. Power tubes wear faster of course especially if they are biased hot but even then they can last for many years in normal home use.
A couple of suggestions if you buy used gear I highly recommend re-capping it. secondly, over the years household power line voltage has increased significantly. with older gear if circuit voltages are higher than spec consider having a bucking transformer installed or some other circuit modifications to bring the power supply in spec.
Well built tube power amps are a beautiful thing when used with proper speakers. generally speaking the last octave (below 30Hz or maybe 40 in some amps) is better handled by a subwoofer driven by solid state.
Just one of virtually every point he made that's wrong or flat-out-opposite of the truth. Yep.
Another good one was tube handling, for which he described precautions you only need to take with projector bulbs. (The absolute only reason to be careful touching a tube that isn't too hot to touch is you might risk wearing old labeling paint off it. You will *not* crack a tube with the oils from your hands being on it, again, that's projector bulbs. Watch any of the thousands of amp tech videos on UA-cam and watch them all touch tubes with their fingers.)
I could go on and on. Again, I can't think of a single correct thing he said in this. Most of it was useless for advice purposes anyway as it had no action-items to follow, but some of it was outright bad advice, like you correctly pointed out here.
thanks! :)
Grandissimo
Check out Watford Valves, a British Company specialising in tubes. They have a massive range of stuff, including cryo treated stuff and sell matched pair kits that have been put into audio amp kits.
Cool!
I love your videos because they embody real life advice,as well as, a presentation that is amiable and not pedantic or condescending.
But you might wish to consider that there are women who watch your videos too. So the “hey guys” might be something to reconsider.
Whats wrong with using guys even if majority viewers are women?
Thanks I have Tube amps and wanted to try some new tubes .Every one I spoke to about it tried to talk me out of it.Why? Anyway I didnt listen and am anxiously awating my new vacuum tubes .So glad I watched this.
There's a junkyard by me with a section of vehicles dating back to the 40s and its my primary source of vacuum tubes. And these vacuum tubes have been sitting in this yard for decades but they still work
A properly biased tube working well within safe limits will last you for years. Also, matched tubes are only needed when you need to use two single triodes in a differential amplifier configuration.
YEAP !
Yep. (Did he say *anything* that was actually correct in this video? I don't think so.)
I have various radios at home but the best 1 is an old 1950's bush valve radio, the sound is really nice but the reception is far better than my other radios.
I switched out my Schiit Mani phono preamp for a Project Tube Box DS. It was my first experience with tubes and even though they're only being inserted in a small preamp section, the difference compared to all solid state was big. The longer I keep spinning, the better the sound gets as the tubes get warmer. Rolling with my amp acts like a tone control as well. Tried a pair of reissue mullards and my vinyl setup sounded like I was using an old NAD amp. The stock Tung Sols are the opposite, more dynamic and forward, though a tad grainy on top. I have a pair of the Gold Lion 12ax7 gold pins coming in, curious to see what it does.
Cool! Thanks for sharing!
I do have an integrated tube amp (DYNAVOX VR-70E ) that was upgraded in hardware (simplification of the signal path) and it sounds beautiful, but at the moment I have an integrated Primare I30 in my main system, optimised with Hi-Fi fuses that really make a difference. I don't know if you already done a video about fuses, but it is a very interesting tweek that really improves sound quality.
Keep on your excelent videos!
PS: by the way, after viewing your video about the HDCD format, I recently bought an Arcam CD23T (dCS ring DAC) to listen to all my HDCD CD's and it really shines, is an excelent player (I had the opportunity to buy an upgraded version with much better capacitors and new transport CD lens)
Cool! I am glad you did this jump of faith for HDCD!
Just subscribed to your channel and your video on tubes is fascinating. Best regards from Adrian in Sheffield South Yorkshire England 🤣😹
Gold Lion KT88 in my Dynaco ST120 AWESOME!
Tubes are amazing. I have a tube 8-Track Player!
Nice information 👍
Thx Kevin
Just came across your video. Fantastic thanks. For tube rolling how does someone know which model tubes to exchange the stock ones Ex. I have a BoyuuReisong A10. And I’m lost 1st tube intergrated.
Great video
Tubes can sometimes be purchased from the manufacturer of the amplifier. Audio Research has replacement tubes for their products. Upscale Audio in California, USA sells tubes.
Thanks sir .
Thank YOU!